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Government ministers will meet later to agree further actions to help businesses struggling in the coronavirus emergency.<\/p>\nGovernment ministers will meet later to agree further actions to help businesses struggling in the coronavirus emergency.<\/p>\n
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said there was a need to support companies to \u201crestart, reconnect and rehire\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Government has already rolled out a multi-billion euro package of assistance for employers and workers during the crisis.<\/p>\n
Around 450,000 workers are receiving state payments through a temporary wage subsidy scheme while around another 600,000 have applied for a special Covid-19 unemployment benefit.<\/p>\n
The Government has also significantly expanded financial support for small and medium sized businesses.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar announced the Cabinet meeting on Friday evening as he presented the Government\u2019s plan to gradually exit the coronavirus lockdown in five phases over the summer months.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting people back to work and restarting businesses will not be easy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that. It won\u2019t be possible for people to just pick up where they left off. Businesses are going to need help to get going again.\u201d<\/p>\n
The current lockdown has been extended until May 18, at which point phase one of the \u201cjourney to a new normal\u201d will commence.<\/p>\n
Each stage is three weeks apart, but the country will only move from one to the other when medical experts confirm it is safe to do so.<\/p>\n
The fifth phase is scheduled to commence on August 10 if everything goes to plan.<\/p>\n
While the majority of restrictions remain in place for another fortnight, two will ease in the coming days.<\/p>\n
From next Tuesday, a travel limit that has forced people to stay within 2km of home when exercising will be extended to 5km, and self-isolating over-70s will be advised they can leave home for a walk or drive.<\/p>\n
On May 18, outdoor work, like construction and landscaping, will resume.<\/p>\n
Some retail outlets, like garden centers, hardware stores and repair shops will also reopen.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar said some outdoor sporting and fitness activities in small groups would also be allowed from that date.<\/p>\n
Cafes and restaurants are set to reopen in phase three, which will start on June 29, but pubs are not due to reopen until phase five.<\/p>\n
Phase four, which will start on July 20, will see hotels and hairdressers opening for business.<\/p>\n
In terms of sport, golf and tennis will be permitted in phase one while close-contact sports such as rugby will have to wait until phase five on August 10.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar has expressed hope that the show-piece All-Ireland GAA finals could go ahead this autumn, albeit behind closed doors.<\/p>\n
In phase one, people outside of the same family unit can meet in groups of no more than four in an outdoor setting.<\/p>\n
In phase two, starting June 8, visits to the homes of over-70s and other vulnerable groups will be permitted with strict social distancing and hygiene steps.<\/p>\n
The plan does not include any timescale for lifting the cocooning advice.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar said advice on wearing face masks or coverings in shops and public transport would be issued when the plan begins to roll out on May 18.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar said schools and colleges will reopen in September\/October at the start of the new academic year.<\/p>\n
Education authorities are to assess whether Leaving Cert exams for final-year students could go ahead in July in the absence of the wider school population.<\/p>\n
Mr Varadkar said it was still the plan for sixth year students to spend two weeks in class ahead of the exams starting.<\/p>\n
But he said other options, such as using predictive marking to allocate results, may be needed if sitting the Leaving Certs could not be held safely.<\/p>\n
The five phase plan was agreed by Cabinet on the back of advice from experts on the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet).<\/p>\n
The current lockdown period had been due to expire on Monday.<\/p>\n
The Taoiseach has stressed the blueprint is a \u201cliving document\u201d and steps outlined in later phases could potentially be implemented sooner.<\/p>\n
He also predicted that the two-metre social distancing guidelines could be reduced, potentially by half.<\/p>\n
The total number of people who have died from Covid-19 in Ireland rose to 1,265 on Friday, after another 34 deaths were announced.<\/p>\n
As of Friday, there had been 20,833 confirmed cases of the disease.<\/p>\n